Grooved captive ring

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a grooved captive ring for attaching jewelry thereto. The grooved captive ring may include a captive shape having a first a second grooved surface, wherein the grooved surfaces are positioned on opposite sides of the captive shape. The grooved surfaces may engage with a single piece of jewelry or a plurality of pieces of jewelry such that the jewelry is (i) removably attached to the grooved surfaces, and (ii) configured to be positioned at any desired location along a length of the grooved surfaces; In embodiments, the grooved surfaces may be substantially smooth such that the jewelry is configured to move freely along the length of the grooved surfaces. Some embodiments of the grooved captive ring also include a surface having a jewel cavity and at least one jewel permanently secured therein.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments herein relate generally to jewelry, and more particularly, to a grooved captive ring that allows for two way movement of a piece of jewelry attached thereto.

Conventional captive bead rings include a pair of recessed dimples on a ball or other shape made of a metal, such as titanium or stainless steel, wherein the dimples allow a ring to be attached to and not fall off of the ball or shape. However, the conventional captive bead rings that exist in the piercing industry only have one or two preset size recessed dimples, which minimizes the options of what can be attached thereto and also limits the placement of anything attached thereto. Additionally, a second captive ring cannot be attached to a conventional captive bead ring that only has one pair of dimples.

Therefore, what is needed is a captive ring that provides an attachment area for a plurality of captive rings, while also allowing for the free two way movement of whatever is attached to the captive ring.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a grooved captive ring for attaching jewelry thereto. The grooved captive ring may include a captive shape having a first a second grooved surface, wherein the grooved surfaces are positioned on opposite sides of the captive shape. The grooved surfaces may engage with a single piece of jewelry or a plurality of pieces of jewelry such that the jewelry is (i) removably attached to the grooved surfaces, and (ii) configured to be positioned at any desired location along a length of the grooved surfaces; In embodiments, the grooved surfaces may be substantially smooth such that the jewelry is configured to move freely along the length of the grooved surfaces. Some embodiments of the grooved captive ring also include a surface having a jewel cavity and at least one jewel permanently secured therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The detailed description of some embodiments of the invention is made below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein like numerals represent corresponding parts of the figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention shown in use.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a section view of one embodiment of the present invention along line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description of the invention, numerous details, examples, and embodiments of the invention are described. However, it will be clear and apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments set forth and that the invention can be adapted for any of several applications.

The device of the present disclosure may be used as a captive ring that allows for movement of the attached jewelry along the captive ring and may comprise the following elements. This list of possible constituent elements is intended to be exemplary only, and it is not intended that this list be used to limit the system of the present application to just these elements. Persons having ordinary skill in the art relevant to the present disclosure may understand there to be equivalent elements that may be substituted within the present disclosure without changing the essential function or operation of the device.

1. Captive Shape 2. Grooved Surface

The various elements of the grooved captive ring for attaching jewelry thereto of the present disclosure may be related in the following exemplary fashion. It is not intended to limit the scope or nature of the relationships between the various elements and the following examples are presented as illustrative examples only.

By way of example, and referring to FIGS. 1-5, some embodiments of the grooved captive ring of the present disclosure comprise a captive shape 10 comprising at least two grooved surfaces 16 configured to engage with body jewelry. In some embodiments, the grooved surfaces 16 may be configured to engage with one or more captive rings 18, 20, as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5. The grooved surfaces 16 may have any suitable length or width depending on the size of the jewelry being attached thereto and, in embodiments, have a length smaller than a length of the captive shape and have a width just larger than the diameter of the jewelry being attached thereto. The depth of the grooved surfaces 16 may be any depth suitable for engaging with the desired jewelry and also may be made larger or smaller depending on the jewelry to be attached. For example, the captive shape may be designed to engage with a body ring having a size of about 12 gauge to a size of about 16 gauge, although the captive shape may have any size to engage with any size jewelry. Because the grooved surfaces 16 run along the length of the captive shape 10, the jewelry attached thereto may be able to move freely, resulting in the captive shape 10 not creating backward pressure on the piercing site. As a result, the piercing site may be able to heal better.

In embodiments, the captive shape 10 may be locked into place by the tension created by the jewelry attached thereto. For example, in the case of a captive ring, the pressure exerted by the ring on each grooved surface 16 of the captive shape may sufficient to lock the captive shape 10 in place, as shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the grooved surfaces 16 may have smooth, or flat, walls, as shown in FIGS. 2-5. When the grooved surfaces 16 are smooth, the captive shape 10 may have a piece of jewelry attached thereto in an infinite number of positions along the grooved surfaces 16. However, in alternate embodiments, the grooved surfaces 16 may have include recessed dimples along the length of the grooved surfaces 16, creating fixed locking positions with which a piece of jewelry being attached to the captive shape can engage.

In embodiments, the captive shape 10 may further comprise a jewel cavity 14 configured to hold at least one jewel 12, as shown in FIG. 4. Some embodiments of the captive shape 10 have a jewel cavity 14 with a plurality of jewels 12, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The jewels 12 may be permanently secured within the jewel cavity 14, and the jewels 12 may be, for example, any desired decorative gem, jewel, or rhinestone. Alternatively, the captive shape 10 may have no jewelry cavity 14 and/or may have any other decorative surface desired.

The captive shape may be any desired shape and, in embodiments, is rectangular as shown in FIGS. 1-5. In other embodiments, the captive shape may be spherical, square-shaped, ovular, or any other desired shape. The captive shape may be made of any suitable jewelry material and, in embodiments, is made of titanium, stainless steel, platinum, gold, silver, acrylic, glass, or any other traditional jewelry material.

The captive shape may be made by any suitable means and, in embodiments, may be made using a computer numerical control (CNC) machine, which may take a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of the desired captive shape and make the captive piece of the desired material.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate that numerous design configurations may be possible to enjoy the functional benefits of the inventive systems. Thus, given the wide variety of configurations and arrangements of embodiments of the present invention the scope of the invention is reflected by the breadth of the claims below rather than narrowed by the embodiments described above. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A grooved captive ring for attaching jewelry thereto, the ring comprising: a captive shape having a plurality of grooved surfaces, wherein: the grooved surfaces are configured to engage with at least one piece of jewelry such that the piece of jewelry can be removably attached to the grooved surfaces; and the piece of jewelry is configured to be positioned at any desired location along a length of the grooved surfaces.
 2. The grooved captive ring of claim 1, wherein the grooved surfaces have a width, wherein the length is larger than the width.
 3. The grooved captive ring of claim 2, wherein the length of the grooved surface is smaller than a length of the captive shape.
 4. The grooved captive ring of claim 1, wherein the grooved surfaces are substantially smooth such that the piece of jewelry is configured to move freely along the length of the grooved surface.
 5. The grooved captive ring of claim 1, wherein the grooved surfaces comprise a plurality of recessed dimples along the length of the grooved surfaces, creating fixed locking positions with which the piece of jewelry engages.
 6. The grooved captive ring of clam 1, wherein the grooved captive ring is configured to engage with a plurality of pieces of jewelry.
 7. The grooved captive ring of claim 1, further comprising a surface comprising a jewel cavity and at least one jewel permanently secured in the jewel cavity.
 8. The grooved captive ring of claim 1, wherein: the captive shape is rectangular; and the grooved surfaces are positioned on opposite sides of the captive shape.
 9. A grooved captive ring for attaching jewelry thereto, the grooved captive ring comprising: a rectangular captive shape comprising a first grooved surface and a second grooved surface, wherein the first grooved surface and the second grooved surface are positioned on opposite sides of the rectangular captive shape, wherein: the first grooved surface and the second grooved surface are configured to engage with at least one piece of jewelry such that the piece of jewelry is removably attached to the grooved surfaces; the piece of jewelry is configured to be positioned at any desired location along a length of the first grooved surface and at any desired location along a length of the second grooved surface; and each of the first grooved surface and the second grooved surface is substantially smooth such that the piece of jewelry is configured to move freely along the length of the first grooved surface and the second grooved surface.
 10. The grooved captive ring of claim 9, further comprising a surface comprising a jewel cavity and at least one jewel permanently secured in the jewel cavity. 